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Miami is a world of man -made islands and the original polo fields are new golf courses – Miami first make a loud at the beginning of the 20th century. Many times I wrote about Miami but this time I will mention some other interesting facts. I love Miami in part for all its flashy invention. In my opinion the big constructions are adding some serious substance to this subtropical city.

I suggest you this time exploring Miami on a two-day bike tour visiting city streets, galleries, delicious drives, one stop Haitian voodoo shops. You can covered 40 miles and 11 islands and used up an entire tube of sunblock.

One of my favorites building in Miami is Bacardi Building north to downtown Miami, at Biscyne and Northest 21st. This building is the greater example of how the International style meets the subtropics. I’m a modernist and I reckon we should protect the buildings of the past, but also the new architecture should reflect our own times and aspirations.

A fantastic way to experience Miami cultural diversity is through its culinary culture. Just north of downtown it’s Enriqueta, a delicious little Cuban spot with hundreds of fun and mostly family-run restaurants. There are incredible Cuban Nicaraguan, Peruvian, Brazilian and Argentine food. Miami has an extraordinary influence of cultures, but you have to get out of South Beach to feel it. The botanicas in Little Haiti are just an example for getting a sense of rich Haitian culture here.

For the first time, there is massive residential development in the downtown area that will transform what was once a dark working center into a great downtown. In addition to Museum Park (the new Miami Art Museum/Museum of Science complex) and the Performing Arts Center, over the next several years we will see a new Frank Gehry Soundspace for the New World Symphony and new Herzog & de Meuron and Enrique Norten buildings here in Miami Beach.

No man is an Iceland. Iceland is a mysterious land, nestled between Europe and North America with ties to Scandinavia. The countryside includes dramatic textures like moss, magma, roiling hot springs and glacial crevasses. Much of it tiny population lives in highly rational architecture in the capital, Reyjavik. The national language is literal and lacks preciousness. The highly efficient brand of economy is tempered by faith in fairies, the hidden people who inhabit stones.

 The population of the country is really small, only 300,000 in the whole land and it is always cold. Summers are more playful and people do not take work too seriously (like everywhere in the world). You also may see a sign on an office door reading ” Due to very pleasant weather, we are taking the rest of the day off”. Pleasant weather means more than 68 degrees. I reckon that many creative inhabitants fill their heads during the summer. You know winters are more for sitting down at your table taking those things that you collect in your mind during summer lifestyle.

Reykjavik has many designers, whose work is very craft-based, with materials like ceramics, wool and fish skin. Good examples of this are shops like Kirsuberjatred, Kraum and the work of ceramicist Kogga. You can sight see city shining in the creations of young desgners. For instance Mundi Designs is an exiting new fashion label directed by a young graphic designer.

Reykjavik is a big part of culture, but the countryside is even bigger. Many people have summer houses in the country. They take inspiration from nature and their sagas. They know where to look to create something new from their past.

Go to a local pool and you will find out that important conversations take places – about politics, culture, gossip, design and etc. During the winter go outside and fill the weather in all its strength.

Cologne is a very modern city in Germany, where three sharp objects have a commanding influence on the skyline, from nearly every corner in the city. One of them is the ornate cathedral, which looms over low-rise buildings and fanning arteries. The ancient city of Cologne creates a vanish of brutal modernity, but while scratching Cologne’s surface reveals a vibrant center of art and design.

Cologne used to be, after New  York, the second most important art city in the world, but that was 15 years ago. Nowadays a lot of it has been taken over by London, Los Angeles and Berlin. Cologne is also described by its cathedral more or less. You can’t really not go there, but once you step into for a half an hour you will understand.It’s good to check out one of the Romanesque church, of which there are 12 in Cologne. From a historical point of view they are quite pure and more important from the cathedral.

But the most spectacular buildings at the moment are the Kolumba Diocesan Museum and Renzo Piano Peek & Cloppenburg department store (up in the picture), which is made of 6, 800 single glass slabs, all of different sizes. It’s a shopping area that is women part. Other interesting place for me is a shop called Sign of the Times specializes in’50s and ’60s furniture. The shop offers extremely fascinating items. There’s also a very special shop called o.k. Versand. There you can buy objects from China, India and Bulgaria.

In conclusion I would say that Cologne is very proud city with fantastic history of art and art collectors. But today many people are moving away, so Cologne must be very careful in the near future. Good luck..!

I have written many times about the miraculous country called Cambodia. But this time I will present a really different look of the country. To many tourists Cambodia means only two things: the majestic temples of Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields of Phnom Penh. But the southern coast of the country is ”Another Cambodia” and during the recent years emerged as an alternative to the heavily trafficked beaches of Thailand.

Some people said that almost every place in Cambodia has a ghost story attached to it. This is why Cambodian people practice Theravada Buddhism. Their Gods are able to cross between the border of the world. When you are in Cambodia I strongly recommended you to go in Kep, where a series of funky bamboo and wood tree houses, many with terrific views of the Gulf of Thailand and the Vietnamase island Phu Quoc.

The image shows Rajana in Sihanoukville, a chain of nonprofit stores with wonderful textiles and some clothing and knickknacks. Sihanoukville is a place with white sands, authentic shops and non-restaurant-based night life.

If you stroll down to Serendipity Beach will bring you in contact with fire throwers, mystics, British Vogue photographers, sex tourists and many, many opportunities to indulge in something called a “vodka bucket.” Several airlines, including Cathay Pacific (with a stop in Hong Kong) and Korean Air (with a stop in Seoul), have flights from Kennedy Airport in New York, with round-trip fares in April starting at about $1,300, based on a recent Web search.

Amedei is a boutique confectionery in the Pisan village of Pontedera, Tuscany (Italy). No place in the world takes chocolate making as seriously as Amedei Factory.

Slitti Cioccolate e Caffe is in the small town of Monsummano Terme. Andrea Slitti, a student pours chocolate in his laboratory.

A display of various chocolates at Slitti Cioccolato e Caffe`. The caffe looks like a boutique shop with attractive boxes of chocolates lining the ornate shelves, and part cozy cafe, with espresso machines whirring behind the counter.

An assortment of tools made of chocolate at Slitti.

Chocolate shavings are added to a cauldron to be melted down at Catinari.

Catinari’s chocolates come in striking colors.

Today there’re more intoxicating reasons to visit Amsterdam, than its popular coffee shops or its red-light district. Amsterdam is angling to become Europe’s creative capital. If you are on vacation there, the first thing to do is to rent a bike. This way you can avoided expensive taxi rides and feel like a local from the start. Don’t worry you won’t lost, because there’re bike paths everywhere. A nice spot to find a good bike is Orangebike.

The next best thing to do, connected friends in town is hiring a few. The company Like-a-Local connects tourists with friendly locals who will invite into their homes and cook a dinner for you. Such dinners are not only fun, but they’re great deal, with prices ranging from 23 to 35 euros, including a lot of wines.

The famous night club Jimmy Woo’s may be good times if you’re 22, but anyone older might feel like a chaperone. The club has an over-the-top Asian restaurant with ostrich wallpaper and mirrored tables, three cocktail bars with spectacular lighting and cool dance floor that vibrates.

Hong Kong is a trading megapolis located on China's south coast on the Pearl River Delta. The city become a dependent territory of the United Kingdom in 1842.

 

The city is one of the world's leading financial capitals and a major business hub. There east meets west and reflected in its cuisine, cinema, music and traditions. It has a population of 6,9 million people.

 

With colonial-era Hong Kong serving as a historic and gritty backdrop. Fashionable restaurants, including a private supper club, arrived. The printing presses began moving out, and their spaces were soon filled with clothing boutiques, design shops and trendy bars. A mix of design shops has fueled the style offensive.

 

If you look at every corner, there are still the two steps of stone leading up to the entrance. You still see the old Hong Kong, with Grandpa and Grandma, and people hanging clothes outside.

 

 At night, the formerly desolate street now comes alive with young partygoers. The mixture of sublime modern architecture, great food, nonstop nightlife and amazing views makes Hong Kong a great weekend destination.

Hotel Paris is marvelously situated just near by The Powder Tower in Prague, where the stunning King’s Road begins. This road is very ancient and leads just to the Prague Castle. If you walk through it, you will see many of the most beautiful Prague sights, such as Old Town Squere, astronomical clock, Charles Bridge and Nerudova Street.

The hotel is constructed in 1904 by well-known architect Jan Vejrych. Even thought that is old structure, the place still has the elegance of the times.

Hotel Paris offers exclusively decorated and fully-equipped guestrooms with the latest technologies such as satellite television and internet connection. The amenities also include bathrooms with special heated floors and massage showers.

The hotel either invites you to ‘Cafe de Paris’ and to its gourmet Sarah Bernhardt Restaurant offering splendid French and International cuisine. Furthermore for your maximum relax, you will have the opportunity to soak into a variety of treatments of the Wellness and Spa Centre, with its exotic Ayuverda massages.